Cooking-machine



w. E. TAYLOR. coome MACHINE.

APPLICATION FIL'ED MAR.I1.1915.

1,330,456.- Patented Feb. 10,1920.

3 SHE ETSSHEET I.

Wwg I zumwlfi M W. E. TAYLOR.

COOKING MACHINE. APPLICATION- FILED MAR. 11, m5.

1 ,330,456. Patented Feb. 10, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

effwrz 26?":

W. E. TAYLOR.

COOKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. n. 1915.

1,330,456. Patented Feb. 10,1920.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

l mlfiilmuzi WIIIIIIIIIIIII "unrrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM E. TAYLOR, OF NEW N. Y., ASSIGNUR TO AMERICAN'CAN COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. YQA CURPORA'IION OF NEW JERSEY.

oooKIive-MAonINE.

1 b all "LUZLOHL it may concern.

Be it lniown that l, /VILI/IAM E. TAYLOR. a citizen of the United States, residing in NewhYork. in the county of New Yorkand State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Cooking-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates in general to cooking machines and has more particular reference to apparatus provided for the cooking of sardines and the like after they have been placed in the can, although it will be apparent as it better understood, thatthe invention has a wider application and is well adapted for other uses.

Prior to my invention it has frequently been the custom to cook sardines before they are placed in the can. This method has been productive of considerable annoyance and waste by reason of the softened condition of the fish after cooking and before canning. A package of sardines, to be successful commercially, must appear tightly packed with the skins unbroken when the can is opened, and this condition is much more readily attainable whenthe sardines are packed in the canrawand subsequently cooked. Sardines are not infrequently packed in olive or other, oils. which form good cooking or frying agents and it is the purpose of this inventionto provide an apparatus which will receive open cans packed with a proper number of raw sardines and apply the proper filling of oil. and at the chine or apparatus cooked and ready for heading at another-which may be done rnechanically or manually without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.

An. additional object of the, invention is 'to provide a machineor apparatus, which,

while accomplishing these and other, purposes,,rnaybe economically constructed and operated- Otherobiects and advantages of the invention will apparent as it is better ecification of Letters Patent.

Apmicatioaffied March 11, 1915. Serial N 0. 13,799.

it miclerstood from the following description when consldered n connectlon wlth the accompanymg drawings lllustratmg a preferred embodiment thereof.

On the drawings T Figure 1 is a side elevation with the central portion broken awayfiof a machine em bodylng my invention. 1

F ig. 2 is a central, longitudinal sectional view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the same. V

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, transverse, vertical, sectional view taken substantially on the line 4ll of Fig. 3. i

Fig. 5 is avertical. transverse, sectional, view taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a detailed, side elevation of the means provided to lift the retainers to a can-releasing and receiving position.

Fig. 'T'is an enlarged, partial top plan view of the immersed conveyor.

Fig. 8 is a sideelevation of the same.

Fig. 9 is a sectionalview taken substanially on the, line 99 of Fig. 7 and Fig. 10 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the supports for the containers.

The machine embodying my invention and shown on the drawings comprises a receptacle or body 21 mounted upon a suitable supporting base 22. The receptacle 21 consists of a large, elongated tank adapted to contain a relatively large quantity of oil or other appropriate liquid 23. This tank, in the present instance. is substantially rectangular andis provided with a continuously moving conveyor 24 which will be later described more. in detail. This conveyer moves continuously within the recepta le or tank about a circuitous path of sufiicient length to permit proper cooking of the materials. It is located a sufficient distance beneath the top of the bath of liquid to perlnit the liquid to enter the open tops of con .tainers 25 .carryingtthe sardinesor other matter to be cooked. These containers are fed continuously to the conveyor by a delivery conveyer 26 and are removed after the cooking operation is complete by a delivery conveyer 27. Heating coils 28 are provided within the oil or other fluid bath 2.3. p

The conveyer 24 consists, in the present instance, of a link chain having flattened, verticaHy disposed links adaptedto be can ous i ovenicnt to the conveyor 2% causin gaged'loysprocket Wheels at various points throughout its travel. 111 the present instance, five such sprocket Wh els are provided, two at 28 mounted in one end of the tank, two, 29 and 31, mounted near the other end, and one, 32, mounted adjacent-the'end with the sprocket wheels 29 and 31 but'positioned. inwardly thereof. The conveyor is shown in detail in Figs. 7 to 10 in which it will he noted that the chain 83 consists of rectangulur links 34- of rounded stock, each link having lip 35 extending from one side of the link and recessed at 36 to embrace a) 'de 3'? of an adjacent linln its opposite side 87 being engaged with a similar lip 35 of tho linkon the other side. At intervals, supports ior the containers 25 are provided, these supports consisting, in the presentinstance, of a flattened projection 38 extending laterally from thetop portionof an appropriate link. The container rests portly upon this support and partly upon a guide 39 positioned along one side of the effeetive'travel oi the conveyor. A similar guide 4-1 is provided on the other sid slightly lower level and upon this projection 38 rides, the two guides 39 and d1 serving to steady the cont iners While moved by the conveyor und to movide a channel between thorn in which the conveyor chain may inove. Extending upwardly iroin appropriate links studs $2 each adapted to engnge behind a container resting upon the support' 38 and cause it toadvance with the conveyor. fiThe supports39and dl nay he formed of angle iron having a smooth surface and inounted upon blocks lsecured on a .shelf i t which in turn rests upon lugs 45. the edges of the shelf l4 vbeingspacedfrom the adjacent Walls of the receptacle to fi' it ready circulation of the oil or other The conveyor 24 receives its movement i ronra sprocket chain 46 meshing With o sprocket Wheel 47 secured upon the end of a shaft .48 Which shaiit 48 passes through sprocketfvvheel 29 which is in niesh with the conveyor and causes the sprocket \vheel 29to move with the sprocket wheel .27. The sprocket chain 46 is moved cont nuously byany suitable source of power (not shown) and imparts thereby a continug the conveyor to move in the direction of the arro vs in Fioi. p

Cans filled with sardines or otherniaterial are fed to the .conveyer 2d bythe feed convey'er 26. This conveyor moves in a coroniunicating' extension 51-of the receptacle 2'1. and takes owners. driving sprocket wheel and idle sprocket Wheels fid and 5d, the sprocket wheels 53 and 54: being positioned to cause the conveyor 26.300 pass above the top 0"" the extension horizontally through a portion ofjt travel. The sprocket heel which is secured to the sprochr wheel ll about which the conveyor l is trained. The

shaft is disposed through a bearing (ii-l in the bearing member 57 and throuo h u support Gel: extending across and secured to the top oi": the receptacle or tank 21. The head of the shaft is enlarged, as indicated at (55, to retain the parts in the elevated positiou shown.

The continuous movement of the iinuicrscd conveyor will therefore impart a continuous inov .ment to the delivery or :l'ecd c uivovcr 26 in the direction of the urrovvs in Fig. 1. In this vicvv it will he noted that at the inginning of its travel toward the tank, the conveyor inoves horizontally between the sprocket wheels 53 and 5t and from the sproc et wheel 53 to the sprocket wheel .32 downwardly an angle to adjacent the imniersed conveyor. Suitable stops (36 extend outwardly from the conveyor and these steps are arranged to engage behind cans placed upon the conveyor at the horizontal portion of itstravel and deliver t o the supports 38 of the innnersed conveyor, said stops licing so arranged that one will arrive at the bottom the travel each time a support .33 comes into position to receive a can.

Combined guides and stationary support; 6'7 are positioned on opposite sides of the tor vard t evel of this delivery conveyor to niai' taro the cans in correct position thereon hile being fed into the machine. The

supports come into position to receive the cans and ready for their reception and... as soon as the supports pass the receiviugpoint, a means for preventing the contents of the cars from floating out is brought into action.

In the present instance, this inc-nus ts of a hinged nrid,orcovor 71. pivoted T2 to an upwardly cxtcndir n'ojcction *3 on each support, the grid being preferthe general configuration shown in and '7 and adapted to nor" ally rest 1e top ednes of the can containing the LldS being); of suflicient weight ir being lifted by the buoyancy oi the contents of the can. These grids rest upon the cans throughout the (-l'lQCiilVO travel of the innierscd conveyor and until the supports 38 come into position to discharge the ns o the delivery conveyor .27. This lastit led conveyor is like the conveyor 26 anu is similarly mounted on sprocket wheels '54:. and 76 (Fig. 2) and passes through an extension 78 communicating: with the receptacle 21-. The conveyor, however, inovcs llfi 79 fixed upon the shaft 56 and engaging a bevel gear 81 fixed upon the lower end of the shaft 48, the shaft 48 being mounted in a bearing 82 in an appropriate bearing member 57 (Fig. 5). The shaft is held in the lifted position shown by the sprocket wheel 47. The sprocket Wheel 76 is fast 7 upon the shaft 56 so that movement of the sprocket wheel L7 through the shaft 4E8, beveled gears 81 and 79 and shaft 56 imparts a continuous movement to the discharge conveyor 27.

As the cans, after having passed four times for substantially the length of the tank and completed the cooking of the contents, arrive at the sprocket wheel 29, they are picked up by the stops 77 of the discharge conveyer, the grids 71 being lifted about their pivotal connections with the sup ports for this purpose. This elevation of the grids is accomplished by a stationary cam guide83 (Figs. 2, 3, 5 and 6) extending between the discharge. and receiving ends'of the effective travel of the immersed conveyer- Upon each grid and extending rearwardly of its pivotal axis is a lug 84 adapted to engage under this guide and be pressed downwardly to lift the grid (Fi 6), the guides serving to maintain the grid in raised position until it has passed the receiving end of the effective travel by con tinuing the pressure on the lug and holding it in the lifted position shown in the case of three grids,in dotted lines, and one grid in full lines, at the receiving and delivering end of Fig. 3. As the cans are picked up after the cooking operation by the delivery conveyor 27 they slide upwardly on guides 91 to the horizontal portion of the travel of the conveyer which extends upon the extension 78, where they are removed. In moving upwardly to this portion the cans are tilted somewhat so that some of the oil may run out. By varying the inclination the ariiount of oil left within the cans may be varied and proper content thus obtained.

The oil within th'h receptacle 21 is heated in any suitable manner, steam coils 28 being shown in the present instance. These coils are disposed just beneath the immersed conveyer and rest upon horizontal, transverse members 93 (Fig. 4:) supported at intervals by suitable lu s 94: forming a part of the side walls of the receptacle."

It will be manifest that the whole operation of the machine described is automatic except the placing of the cans on the conveyer 26 and their removal from the guides 91. Automatic machinery may, of course, be provided for these steps also without de' parting from my invention and it will be obvious that various changes may be made in the improvement, construction and arrangement of the parts described, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing any of its material advantages, the form disclosed being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim 1. In a cooking machine, in combination: a receptacle for the cooking liquid having at the same end two parallel inclined portions through which the cans to be treated may be carried down into said receptacle, and may be carried up out of it, respectively; an endless conveyer having mounting and actuating means whereby it is caused to traverse said receptacle from end to end, and provided with means for engaging and carr in the cans' and a downwardl inclined receiving conveyer arranged in one of said inclined portions of the receptacle and having means for delivering the filled cans to the first mentioned conveyer; and a delivering conveyor arranged in the other inclined portion of the receptacle and arranged to disengage the cans from the first mentioned conveyer and elevate them from the receptacle.

In a cooking machine, in combination: a receptacle for the cooking liquid; three chain wheels arranged on vertical axes with in and near one end of said receptacle; two chain wheels arranged within the other end of said receptacle; an endless conveyer mounted on said five chain wheels and having means for engaging and propelling cans; and separate inclined receiving and delivering conveyers having means respectively for delivering cans to the first mentioned conveyor, and for disengaging cans therefrom.

3. In a cooking machine, in combination: a receptacle for the cooking liquid; an endless conveyer having mounting and propelling means whereby it circulates in horizontal planes within said receptacle; a separate receiving conveyer arranged to carry cans down into said receptacle and deliver them to the horizontal conveyer; a delivering conveyer arranged to take cans from said horizontal conveyor and elevate them from the receptacle; means on all of said conveyers for engaging and propelling cans; and mechanism for actuating the several conveyers in proper time relative to each other whereby the cans are automatically transferred from one conveyer to an other. I

In a cooking machine, in combination, a receptacle for a cooking liquid having two parallel inclined portions leading down into the receptacle and up out of the same, said zontal conveyor and elevate them from the receptacle; means on all of said conveyers for engaging and propelling cans; mechanism for actuating the several conveyers in proper time relative to each other whereby the cans are automatically transferred from one conveyer to another; movable can-cov ering means attached to the horizontal conveyer; and devices for moving said covering means to permit the reception and de- 10 livery of cans by said horizontal conveyor.

Signed this 3rd day of October, 191 i in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM E. TAYLOR. 

